White Faced Monkeys: Quepos, Costa Rica (Part 1)

Costa Rica is home to a multitude of monkeys, including Squirrrel monkeys, Howler monkeys and the White Face or Capuchin monkey. These monkeys are named for their resemblance to the Capuchin Friars, an offshoot from the Franciscans. They wore brown robes with large hoods covering their heads, revealing only their pale faces . Like most New World monkeys, capuchins are diurnal (active during the daylight and resting at night) and arboreal (spending most of their time in the dense jungle canopy of Costa Rica. With the exception of a midday nap, they spend their entire day searching for food. At night they sleep in the trees, wedged between branches. Capuchins live together in groups of 6 to 40 members. These groups consist of related females and their offspring, as well as several males. Usually groups are dominated by a single male, who has primary rights to mate with the females of the group.